Stolen Flames
by hellotocarissa
Summary: Bella Swan is an FBI agent attempting the solve the murder of 14 year old Jacob Black. When a new agent is assigned to help her on the case, will he help or just make solving it that much harder? What will Bella do when her partner's life is in jepordy?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So new story! :) I got this idea in my head and I just wanted to start writing is as soon as possible! I really hope you all enjoy it. Now, just some things to keep in mind, I am not all that familiar with how real FBI murder cases are worked, all of my information I have gotten from shows like NCIS, Criminal Minds, or Law and Order. The ENTIRE story is fiction, obviously, and completely human. Also, I apologize ahead of time for any grammatical errors that may appear throughout this story. Last but not least, I do not own any of the Twilight characters mentioned in this story. However, Stephanie Meyer does The only thing I own is the plot of this story and I really hope you enjoy!  
>-hellotocarissa <strong>

_Summary: Bella Swan is an FBI agent assigned to solve the murder of fourteen year old Jacob Black. When things get tough and she seems to come to a dead end, a new agent is brought in to help. Will the new agent help Bella come any closer to finding Jacob's killer or will he just make things worse? What will Bella do when the life of her new partner is threatened? _Enjoy ;)

BPOV:

"And when did you say Jacob went missing, Mr. Black?" I asked again, double checking my notes in the little notebook I carried around. I was currently talking to Jacob Black's father for about the fourth time, trying to gather any new information to help me solve the case.

"On July seventeenth. He had come home from school that day slightly anxious. When I asked him if everything was ok, he simply nodded and told me to not worry about it. That he had just had a bad day at school. He asked to go to the park on the Reservation to play basketball with his friends; he had been doing that a lot lately. He left the house around three and never came home." Mr. Black answered, getting slightly choked up. I sighed and put my hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I am so sorry for your lose." I said quietly and he just began to sob harder. It had been three months since I started on this case and was still no closer to finding the bastard that killed Jacob. I left the Black residence after a few more questions and headed back to the station to call a meeting. I was determined to not give up no matter what. By the time I got back to the office, it was almost time for my team to head home for the night. I groaned, knowing they would be pissed with me for calling a meeting now and not just waiting for the next morning. "Newton!" I called out.

"Yeah boss?" He answered and I sighed again.

"I need to call a debriefing meeting before you all go home." I told him and he groaned.

"Sure thing boss." He said half heartedly and I sighed, gathering up the files for the case, and headed to the first open room. The team slowly started to poor in, each one looking more upset than the last. Once the last person was in and the door was shut, I began.

"Jacob Black, fourteen years old, was found beaten to death with a crowbar in the woods about a mile from the park he was last seen at on the Reservation. All family members have an alibi that checked out, as well as Embry Call, one of the friends he was at the park with. The other friend, Quil Ateara, still has yet to be questioned on account of, he cannot be found. There were two witnesses at the park that saw Jacob, Embry, and Quil playing basketball, however neither saw them leave. The witnesses said the boys were still there playing when they left. The witnesses are Sam Uley and Leah Clearwater. Both were told to stay in town until further notice for future reference. A search team is working on finding Quil Ateara so we can question him and, as of now, he is our first suspect. Case has been ongoing for three months and we are still no closer to solving it then we were when we first got assigned. Someone please tell me what the hell we are missing!" I cried out in frustration and my team was silent. I took a couple deep breaths with my eyes closed and looked up at them. "Newton! Any progress on phone calls or emails or anything that might give us another suspect? Perhaps someone we can actually question?" I asked Mike Newton, the guy in charge of the computer logs and such.

"Still working on it boss. Everyone that Jacob was in touch with the week he died have alibis that all check out. Everyone other than Quil." He explained and I groaned again.

"I want you to check back to at least two months before he died. If any names pop up inform me immediately." I told him and he nodded before writing down what I had told him.

"Crowley! Anything new on your end?" I asked Tyler Crowley, the Chief Medical Examiner.

"Nothing that I haven't already told you boss." He replied solemnly.

"What about you Yorkie?" I snapped, my patience wearing thinner and thinner. Eric Yorkie was my Forensic Specialist and for the past couple months had been working on trying to hack into Jacob's computer.

"Nothing boss. For fourteen years old, that kid was a security expert. I do have a new method I am trying though and just working with it today, I have made more progress then I have since I got the damn thing." He said frustratingly and I groaned.

"Does anyone have any good news for me? Like maybe a breakthrough of some sort?" I questioned in hope and they all looked at me sadly. I took the silence as a no and closed the folders. "Alright, get home and we will try again tomorrow." I told them before walking out the door. I went and sat at my desk and began looking through the folders I had memorized from front to back by now.

"Bella, can I see you in my office for a moment?" Garrett Denali, the Director, asked as he walked by my desk and I nodded as I stood up and followed him to his office. "Any news on the Black case?" He asked me as he motioned for me to sit down and I rubbed my hands over my face in frustration.

"Nothing." I stated simply and he nodded.

"Bella, your team is worried about you. If this case becomes too much for you to handle please let me know and we can either call in for help or reassign it to someone else." He told me and my head shot up.

"No! Garrett you can't do that! This case is my baby. I need to find Jacob's murderer. For his family and all his friends." I shouted out in shock.

"Bella calm down. I never said I was going to do it. I just hate to see you so worried and hopeless about this. Jacob is already dead, you are not going to bring him back by finding his killer. Why are you so worked up about this one? You are usually so levelheaded about cases." He asked me, concern lacing his voice.

"Garrett you don't see his father's face every time I talk to him. He is completely devastated. The loss of Jacob is killing him inside and I feel so helpless. If I don't find who did this to his son, I will let him down and I can't do that. He needs the closure of knowing who killed his son. He needs to be able to know that the person who took his son away from him is rotting away in a prison somewhere rather than out running free waiting to strike again." I explained sadly and Garrett sighed.

"I understand that Bella, but what has you so wrapped up in this particular case. I know it is not Billy Black that has you preoccupied." He told me and I grumbled, he knew me too well.

"I don't know Garrett. I honestly don't know why I feel this way about this particular case. Maybe because Jacob was only fourteen years old? He had no chance to live and no opportunity to succeed in life and find someone to love and something to do, to have a family. It's horrible that someone to do this to him. He was just a kid." I told him as I hung my head and tears stung my eyes.

"Bella, I have confidence that you and your team will find the person responsible for Jacob Black's death and I know you will make him suffer for the rest of his life because of what he did. I believe in you Bella. You need to start believing in yourself." He told me softly and I swallowed the tears back and smiled.

"Thank Garrett. I really hope you're right on this one." I told him and he nodded.

"I know I am. Now you need to go home and get some sleep. You have been working too long and tiring yourself out is not going to help one bit. Go home, take a nice, warm, relaxing bath, eat a nice dinner with a glass or two of wine, and I don't want you anywhere near this office until at the earliest nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Is that understood Ms. Swan?" He said the last part as a command and I sighed.

"Yes sir." I said half heartedly. I stood up and went back to my desk, locking the files away for the night, and headed out. I climbed into my car and, after locking the doors and starting the engine, let my head fall onto the steering wheel and my tears fall. I was only twenty five and was the youngest FBI agent to head a case and not mentally ready for a case like this. I had worked on murder cases before, but most murders were people in their twenties or older. Never a minor. It broke my heart that someone could do this to a child. After letting all the tears drain from my body, I wiped my eyes and backed out of the parking lot and headed home. Once I was home I drug my lifeless body inside my tiny, one bedroom apartment and locked the door behind me, throwing my keys on the table by the door and pressing the button on the answering machine.

"Hey Bella, it's your mother calling you for the fifth time this week. I'm worried about you honey. Please call me back as soon as you can." Came my mom's voice from the answering machine. I sighed and checked the time, ten o'clock. That meant it was eleven in Arizona and too late to call my mom back. I guess she would just have to worry another night. I pressed the delete button before moving on to the next message.

"Hey Bells, it's Jared. I don't know where you have been the last couple days but please call me. I miss you. Alright well I love you. Bye Bella." Jared's voice came through the speakers next. Jared was my boyfriend of about six months. I deleted that message and continued on.

"Isabella Marie! I can't believe you haven't called me back about our plans yet! I miss you girl and I'm worried. Please call me when you get a chance. Love you sugar!" My best friend since high school, Emily Young, cried out through the machine next and I smiled at her snippy attitude. Emily and I had met our freshman year of high school and had been inseparable since. I deleted the last message and went to my bedroom to change into something more comfortable before calling Jared back. He answered on the first ring.

"Bella! Baby thank god you finally called me back. Is everything ok?" He shouted through the phone and I had to hold the speaker away from my ear slightly to keep from busting an eardrum.

"Hey Jared. I'm so sorry I haven't called you lately. I've just been so wrapped up in this case and it is just exhausting me." I explained sadly and I heard him sigh on the other end.

"Bells, you're taking this case to seriously. It is stressing you out. You need to just calm down and take it one day at a time." He told me and I felt my frustration flare inside me. Jared and I seemed to have the same exact argument about my job every time we talked. That I was too young to be as invested in my work as I was and how I needed to just relax and "take it one day at a time" as Jared put it.

"Jared, please don't start this. It is my job. Of course I am invested in it. I can't not be in my line of work." I replied quietly and he groaned.

"Bells, go out with me tomorrow night. Get your mind off of the case and just have some fun, see your boyfriend. We can even meet up with the gang if you want. Come on Bella. It'll be fun." He said excitedly and I groaned internally but knew I needed this and Jared would not stop pestering unless I agreed.

"Yeah sure babe. Sounds great." I told him in the most excited voice I could muster as I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple with my free hand. I could already start to feel a headache coming on.

"Great! I will pick you up from your house at seven. Seriously Bella, this is going to be great. Goodnight beautiful. I love you." He said and I smiled.

"I love you too, Jared." I replied sweetly before hanging the phone up and collapsing on my bed. I was out within the next five minutes and dreaming of the different possible outcomes of Jacob Black's case.

**A/N: Hey guys! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of **_**Stolen Flames**_**! Please review to let me know what you think. I am really excited about this story and I hope you enjoy!  
>-hellotocarissa <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello fellow fans! Well, here is the next chapter of my new story! I got a question on the last chapter about my updating schedule. I honestly do not have a specific schedule that I go by. I know that sounds odd because most authors on this site have schedules for their stories but, here's the thing. I have tried to follow a schedule on my other stories and I found that, something often came up. I am very busy with work and my family and, when I was unable to update, I felt horrible. So, because of that, I do not follow a schedule. So now that that's all cleared up, here is your next chapter!  
>-hellotocarissa<strong>

BPOV:

"Dammit!" I cried out on my fifth unsuccessful try at going back to sleep. I sighed and sat up, rubbing my hands across my face, before stretching and getting out of bed. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower so the water had time to get warm as I grabbed my clothes and brushed my teeth quickly. After doing so, I undressed and stepped into the warm shower, sighing in delight as the water soaked my body and warmed me to the core. I took my time, shampooing and conditioning my hair, and washing my body as the room filled with steam from the water. Once I was squeaky clean, I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel tightly around my body. I went back into my bedroom and put on my loose fitting jeans and a black t-shirt. I ran a brush through my hair before blow drying it quickly and throwing it up into a tight ponytail. I went back into my bathroom and opened my makeup door, looking at my makeup I hadn't used for years, before sighing and slamming the drawer closed. It was no surprise to anyone that I was a nothing, plain-Jane, nothing special. I never did my hair unless Jared was taking me somewhere, and even then it was usually just hung in natural waves down my back. My makeup was always in the drawer in my bathroom, never actually on my face. But I was completely ok with that. In my line of work, it was easiest to throw your hair up and not worry about how you looked while on the job. I also found that, looking pretty with the makeup and everything could get you in major trouble. I looked at the time and groaned, seeing as it was only eight and I couldn't go into the office for another hour. I poured myself some cereal and grabbed the morning paper. I was just scanning through the different articles when one caught my eye and I froze.

**Quil Ateara Found!**

** Jacob Black, fourteen, was found on July 19****th****, brutally beaten and murdered. He was last seen at a park located on the Reservation where he lived in Forks, Washington. He was last seen with his two best friends, Embry Call and Quil Ateara. Embry was questioned immediately and Quil was missing. FBI agent Edward Cullen and his team have been working to find him for the last few months. Their investigation lead them to find Quil Ateara, also fourteen, also brutally killed. Sources say FBI agent Isabella Swan and her team have yet to solve the mystery of Jacob Black's death. Garrett Denali refused to say whether this was true or not. Agent Edward Cullen says, "I knew we would find Quil Ateara eventually. I just wish we could have found him under better circumstances." When we asked him what he thought about the Black case he replied, "I know Agent Swan is working as hard as she possibly can to find who murdered Jacob Black. Some cases just take time and more effort than others. My team and I have faith that she will find his killer and we can only hope that our findings will help her and her team along in the case. The person who did this to these poor boys will suffer and Agent Swan is the perfect person to make sure that happens. No further comment. Thank you." Will Agent Edward Cullen be correct on his assumptions? We can only hope.**

I threw the paper across the room after tearing the article out, grabbed my purse, and headed off to the office.

"Swan I thought I told you not to come in until nine at the earliest!" Garrett said as I stormed into his office and closed the door behind me.

"What is this Garrett?" I hissed as I slammed the article down on his desk. He picked it up and glanced at it before sighing and rubbing his temple. "Please tell me you had no idea that they found Quil Ateara four days ago! Please tell me you didn't know he was found dead!" I screamed and he looked up at me.

"I found out yesterday." He told me and I slammed my hand down on the desk in anger.

"Are you kidding me? Why did the fucking Times know before we did! This is my god damn case! Why didn't I know that he was found dead?" I cried out as I paced in front of his desk.

"Bella calm down! I am figuring that stuff out as we speak and you throwing a bitch fit because you weren't the first to know is not going to help anyone here!" He snapped at me and I stared at him in shock before plopping down in a chair.

"I know I'm sorry Garrett. I just wish I would have known. That little detail makes this a whole new case! Embry Call could be in danger now and if I hadn't read that paper then who knows when I would have found out." I sighed and Garrett nodded.

"I understand that, Bella. But I do need you to promise me something." He told me and I looked up at him. "Stay out of this one. I am handling it and you just need to focus on your case right now. We can't have another dead body on our hands so make sure you keep Call safe and try to find out who killed these boys. And take it easy on yourself Bella. You are doing the best you can." He said and I nodded.

"Alright I promise. Just promise me you will make someone pay for this." I pleaded and he chuckled.

"Alright, now get back to work Swan!" He ordered in his director voice and I giggled and rolled my eyes.

"Yes sir." I replied as I walked out of his office and to my desk. I unlocked my cabinet and took the files out.

"McCarty!" I yelled out for Emmet McCarty, one of my field agents.

"Yeah boss?" He called back from his desk and I rolled my eyes.

"Get your ass over here!" I yelled back at him and he jumped up and ran over to stand in front of my desk.

"Sorry boss, what do you need?" He asked me.

"I need you to get that file from the Quil Ateara's death. We have some questioning to do and if you get that file you get to go with me." I told him and his eyes grew wide and a grin spread across his face. Emmet was one of my younger agents and the newest member of our team. He hadn't been out on assignments with me often; I usually took Liam and Stefan, two of my more experienced agents. This time, I figured why not give the rookie a chance; he was definitely full of heart and willing to learn. If he got me that file, he might turn out more useful that I had anticipated.

"I'll get right on that boss." He promised and I giggled at his enthusiasm.

"You come find me as soon as you get that file and we can you out tomorrow. Sound good Rookie?" I asked him and he smiled and nodded so big you would have thought he was a kid in a candy shop getting offered a free piece of bubblegum from the shop owner.

"Sounds better than good! Thank you boss! I won't let you down!" He practically yelled out before running off to get started. I laughed and rolled my eyes. Some rookies…

"Boss! I think you should see this!" Yorkie said over my intercom.

"Be right down!" I replied into the speaker and headed down to the basement of the building, where Eric's office was located. "What did you find?" I asked him once I got down there and he smiled at me.

"Well, I've been working on getting past the security system for about two days using my new method of taking all of the password possibilities in the world like important dates and names and just random words along with numbers and taking away all of the obvious answers. The kid may have been only fourteen but he wasn't an idiot. So after taking all those possibilities away, I was left with thousands rather than millions of different possibilities. So then, I figured out what kind of security system he used by comparing it to other different systems. Once I found a match, I figured out what kinds of passwords people usually use and threw those possibilities out as well." He explained.

"Yorkie, get to the point please." I sighed and he nodded.

"Right, sorry boss. Well anyways, I figured out the password and shut down the security system easily after that. I was looking through his recent emails and found something I found very interesting. His inbox was completely wiped out, but his sent box was still all there. He had been continuously emailing with Leah Clearwater, one of the witnesses that was at the park. It seems the two were dating. After reading through all that, usually when the inbox is deleted there are some files that don't get completely wiped out. I wasn't expecting to be able to recover any of them, considering how thorough he seemed to be, but I was able to get all of them back. Jacob Black and eighteen year old Leah Clearwater were definitely dating and, looking at these emails, might have even been sleeping together." He told me and my eyes widened as I read through some of the emails.

"Great work, Eric! Print out the emails and get them to me as soon as possible. I have a witness to visit." I told him and he nodded as I walked out of the room.

"Hey boss! I got that file you asked for!" McCarty called to me, waving the file around in the air for me to see. I widened my eyes and rushed over to snatch the file from his hands.

"McCarty no one can know I had you get this file! Do you understand me?" I hissed in his face and he looked at me in fear before he gulped and nodded. I sighed and opened the file, reading over all the information, before shutting it again. "Alright Rookie, you're up." I told him as I grabbed my jacket and clipped on my belt that had my handgun, badge, and cuffs.

"Sweet!" He said excitedly as he ran over to his desk to do the same. I laughed as he tried to fumble with his belt and rolled my eyes when he smiled sheepishly over at me.

"Stefan! I'm taking McCarty to the Clearwater's. I have some questions for our witness. Stay here and immediately contact me with any more information before you do anything please! That's an order!" I called to my field agent and he groaned and nodded. I led Emmet to the elevator and we headed off to Leah Clearwater's house.

"FBI! Open up!" I yelled as I pounded on the door.

"Can I help you?" Mr. Clearwater asked as he opened the door.

"We need to speak with Leah. Is she home?" I asked him and he nodded before moving aside to let us in.

"Did Leah and Jacob Black ever hang out?" I asked him casually as I looked around the house for pictures or anything that might prove the emails to be true.

"Leah and Jacob grew up together. Billy and I are old friends so of course they would hangout. Why?" He asked and I shrugged.

"Just curious. Did you notice any feelings more than friendship coming from Jacob towards Leah or the other way around?" I asked him and he gasped.

"My daughter was eighteen years old agent Swan. Jacob was only fourteen. What exactly are you implying here?" He asked, offense covering his voice.

"Not implying anything Mr. Clearwater. Just trying to gather all of the facts. I apologize if I offended you." I said in what sounded like a sincere voice and he nodded.

"Boss! Leah took off out the window when she saw me!" McCarty yelled and I groaned.

"Well then go after Rookie! You take the back I'll cut her off." I told him and he stood there and nodded. "Now!" I yelled and he jumped and took off out the backdoor into the alley behind the house.

"Where would your daughter head Mr. Clearwater?" I asked him urgently and he shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe the park or the garage?" He replied and I took off out the front door and got in the car. I saw Leah run out from the alley way and Emmet a short distance behind her before he pounced and tackled her to the ground. I shook my head and ran over to assist Emmet.

"FBI, freeze!" I called to her as I pulled my gun out and pointed it directly at her and she immediately stopped fighting Emmet's grasp and he easily pulled her up and cuffed her before dragging her to the door. He put her in the backseat and closed the door. "Nice work Rookie. We might just keep you around after all." I told him as I walked around to the driver's side of the car and winked at him. He grinned and climbed into the car.

"Why did you run, Leah?" I snapped at the girl sitting in the chair of the interrogation room.

"I was afraid. I didn't know who he was or what he wanted!" She cried as she looked down at her intertwined and cuffed hands.

"You and Jacob, just friends?" I asked her and her eyes shot up to mine in fear.

"Of course! Why would you think any different?" She defended immediately and I smiled internally.

"Maybe because of these." I replied as I threw the stack of emails down on the table in front of her. She looked through them and sighed before closing her eyes.

"He told me he was going to get rid of these." She said quietly but I still heard her.

"Why would you want Jacob to get rid of the emails declaring your love for each other?" I asked her and she sighed as the tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

"Look, Jake and I grew up together. Our dad's have been friends forever. I don't remember a time I didn't know Jake. I was with Sam Uley for almost a year when we broke up. I was upset and heartbroken. Jake was there to comfort me. I kissed him and one thing lead to another. I know it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it but I was upset and it just happened. He told me he loved me and that he promised to take care of me and I told him I loved him too. We started emailing and hanging out as much as possible but I swear nothing happened again after that. I loved Jacob. I really did. But I found after time that it was more of a little brother love."

"Did you tell Jacob that?" I snapped at her and she flinched away from me.

"I tried, oh God I tried so many times. He never understood. I was at the park that day when he disappeared to tell him one last time that I couldn't see him anymore. That it wasn't right. Sam wanted to get back together and we were going to run away together. He looked so happy to see me and kept playing with his friends. He finally came over and said hi. I told him about Sam and he looked so sad. He told me he never wanted to see me again and that I was just the bitch that took advantage of him and broke his heart. That's when Sam and I left the park. I swear to you Jacob was still there playing with his friends when we left. That is the complete truth. You have to believe me." She begged as she fought to keep her sobs under control.

"It's kind of hard to believe any of this when you already lied to us once. Leah, do you understand that you broke the law when you slept with fourteen year old Jacob Black?" I asked her and she let out another sob and nodded her head. I sighed before walking out the door.

"Get Sam Uley in here. She still isn't telling us something." I ordered my team before going to talk to Garrett.

"Agent Swan, what a pleasant surprise." Came a voice from behind me and I whipped around to find Edward Cullen standing there.

"What are you doing here, Cullen?" I spit as I glared at him and he chuckled.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I got a message from your director saying he needed to speak to me." He told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, Cullen." I snapped back as I stormed to Garrett's office, closing the door behind me.

"Bella, I heard about the improvement in the case. Congratulations." He told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Cut the crap Garrett. What is Edward Cullen doing here?" I asked him as I glared at him and he sighed.

"Bella, you need help on this case. Please just cooperate here." He begged and I scoffed.

"I am not working with Edward fucking Cullen on this case! I don't need his damn help!" I screamed at him and he stood and glared into my eyes.

"Swan, you are working with Agent Cullen on this case whether you are happy about it or not! Now get out of my office!" He snapped at me and I groaned.

"Fuck you, Garrett." I scoffed before storming out of his office and sending another death ray at Cullen and heading to my desk. This was going to be a long day.

**A/N: Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**_a/n: hey guys! so here is my next chapter of _Stolen Flames_ and i really hope you all enjoy it! i know this story might be a little weird but, i am really having fun writing it! well, without further ado, here is your next chapter!:)_**

**_xoxo, hellotocarissa:)_**

I sat at my desk and read over Quil Ateara's file for the tenth time in a row. I sighed and threw it down on my desk in frustration. Something wasn't checking out.

"Hey partner." Edward said his voice cheery and annoying.

"Don't fuck with me Cullen. I am not in the mood to deal with your shit nor will I ever be. I just want to get this asshole and close this damn case so I don't have to see your face ever again." I growled at him and he chuckled and plopped himself on the edge of my desk.

"Calm down there sweetheart. I want to find this douche bag just as much as you do. We need to work together on this or that is never going to happen." He said and I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face quickly before standing up.

"Get your team in the conference room now!" I snapped before storming off to gather my team together. As everyone assembled in the conference room, I felt like we had a good team, despite the circumstances. "Alright, I guess we should start with the introductions." I sighed out before beginning. "I am agent Isabella Swan. You can call me agent Swan, or Boss. You will not call me by my first name while we are at work or on duty. Understood?" I said to Cullen's team and they all nodded in fear. "Good, this is Mike Newton; he is in charge of computer logs and phone records and such. Tyler Crowley, my chief medical examiner. Eric Yorkie, my forensic specialist. Emmet McCarty, our rookie field agent. And this is Liam and Stefan Jacobs, my other field agents." I said as I pointed out each member of my team as I introduced them.

"I am Edward Cullen; you can call me Edward, agent Cullen, or agent Edward. No need for formalities here, we all have each other's backs right?" Edward started in, smirking at me and I rolled my eyes. "This is Riley Biers, my forensic specialist. Peter Smith, my medical examiner. Benjamin Williams; he is the person on my charge of computer and phone logs for my team. And, last but not least, Charles Miller, Collin Moore, and Brady Davis, my field agents." Edward introduced his team and I mentally made the pairs in my head as he did so.

"Alright so, Newton and Williams, Crowley and Smith, Yorkie and Biers, and them Rookie, Liam, Stefan, Moore, Davis, and Miller. Those are your teams and the people who you will be working with specifically on this case. We will all be working together on this case as one team, though, not two separate ones. I don't care if you don't get along with someone. Everyone in this room is a team now and we will all work as one. We have to have each other's backs, as Edward said earlier, or someone could get seriously hurt or even killed. Is that understood?" I explained and they all nodded. I softened my voice and turned my attention to Cullen's team. "Also, I know Edward is the person you normally would go to, and if that is what you are comfortable with than please feel free to continue doing so. I am not here to put anyone out or make anyone feel uncomfortable with working with me. I know I can be a bit extreme and sometimes frightening but I put my whole heart into my cases and I am determined to find the person who murdered these boys. But I also want you to know that you can come to me as well. If you have any issues or any concerns with anything at all during this case please feel free to talk to me when needed. And, I am demanding that you come to me with any good news at all on this case. Lord knows I sure need it." I told them and everyone chuckled as my team nodded. "And that goes for my team as well. Guys, I am your boss, yes, but now you also have Edward. My point is that all of you are a part of my team now and I will treat you as I do my own team and I'm sure the same goes for Edward." I told them and looked to see Edward nodding and looking at me curiously. I ignored it for now and turned back to my new team. Our new team. "Alright, now I need Liam and Moore to go pick up Embry Call. We need to put him in protective services until we find out for sure if the murderer is going after him as well. I started and they nodded before grabbing their stuff and heading out to pick him up. "Newton, Crowley, Yorkie, McCarty, and Stefan, take the rest of our new team and show them around and then grab your partners and get back to work." I said and everyone nodded before following Liam and Collin out the door to get to work. I felt the need to say 'Ready, break!' as they all scurried out, but instead settled for plopping down in a chair and rubbing my hands over my face. I glanced up to see Edward staring at me with the same curious look on his face as before. "What's your deal, Cullen?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"You were great back there. You really are a very good agent Isabella." He told me and I shuddered.

"Ugh! Please don't call me that. Only my father calls me that." I told him and he laughed. "Call me Bella. We are equals, no need for you to call me agent Swan or Boss." I told him and he nodded.

"Bella, it fits you." He said and I looked at him with a confused expression on my face. "I was actually kind of expecting you to take charge and tell everyone that you were in charge." He said as he laughed and I glared at him.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me." I spat at him and he lifted his hands in surrender.

"Wow, calm down there tiger. I was just saying that I wasn't expecting to hear the words that you said come from your mouth. You told the team everything I would have said to my own team. You really do love this job don't you?" He asked me, understanding and curiosity in his voice.

"I really do. Just something about being able to put someone that has hurt an innocent person behind bars and give them what they deserve. I can't explain it. It's just exhilarating." I told him, a sense of awe in my voice.

"And your team, you really care about them as well." He stated and I nodded.

"Yeah, I know they have my back and they know I have theirs. Sometimes the case will get to me and I get so stressed and I turn into a bitch but they all know that I care about them deeply. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to them. I love them. They are like my babies." I told him and he smiled at me as I giggled.

"What's so funny?" He asked me as he smiled at me.

"I was just thinking about what I said. They are like my babies yet most of them are older than I am." I told him and we both laughed. I sighed and smiled. "Thank you, Edward." I told him sincerely and he smiled at me.

"For what Bella?"

"For making me forget about the case for a few minutes and take a step back and helping me remember why I love this job and why I became an FBI agent to begin with. You really helped me get my second wind to work on this case." I explained and he smiled at me.

"Of course, Bella." He replied and I smiled before I got up and headed back to my desk.

"Hey Boss!" Liam called as he came back by my desk with Collin close in tow.

"What's up Liam?" I asked him and he smiled at me kindly. I smiled back and he laughed.

"Call is in the lounge waiting for you to explain what he's doing here, along with his parents." He told me before heading off to show Collin around the office.

"Thanks guys!" I called after them and they both waved over their shoulders. I rolled my eyes and went to grab Edward.

"Bella, what's up?" He asked me when he saw me.

"The Calls are here. Would you like to explain to them what's going on? Let people know you're working on the case with me?" I asked him and he smiled.

"I would love to but I am actually heading over to talk to my director right now. I can let people know another time. You take this one. I think Embry is comfortable with you anyways." He told me and I shrugged.

"Alright, if you say so." I told him before heading off to the lounge. "Hey guys." I smiled warmly as I walked into the room.

"Oh thank God agent Swan you are here! We were so worried. What's going on?" Mrs. Call said and I smiled at her.

"We are going to place you and your son under protective custody for a little while. After finding our recent discovery, we are worried that Embry might not be as safe as we had hoped." I explained to Embry's parents and they nodded, relief in their eyes.

"Bella, what is happening?" Embry asked me, worry and fear clear in his voice.

"You are going to stay with some of our agents close to your side at all times ok sweetheart? We need to make sure you are protected. Now listen to me Embry because this is very important," I told him as I bent over to look him in the eyes. I took his nod as his cooperation before I continued. "Now, there might be someone looking for you Embry. Someone that is very dangerous. So we are going to put you and your parents with some people that are going to protect you. I need you to make sure you do not talk to strangers and if you see or talk to anyone that seems different or like something is wrong with him I need you to tell me or one of my team members immediately. Is that understood?" I told him seriously and he nodded as tears formed in his eyes.

"I'm so scared Bella. What if the same person that killed Jake and Quil wants to kill me too?" He asked me as his tears spilled down his cheeks.

"That is exactly what we are going to prevent Embry. I promise you, no harm will come to you or your family. We will protect you all. Ok?" I told him and he launched himself into my arms. I hugged him tightly as his tears fell onto my shirt.

"Thank you Bella. I just miss my friends so much." He told me as he pulled away from the hug and wiped his eyes.

"I know Embry. And I am so sorry for your loss. But I am going to find the person who did this to your friends and they will pay. That is a promise." I told him truthfully and he nodded his head.

"Thank you again agent Swan. For everything you have done for our son and for this family." Mr. Call said as him and his wife took their son in their arms and together they mourned the loss of Embry's friends. I walked out of the lounge, closing the door behind me, and walked to my desk. Once I sat down, the tears I had been holding inside became too much and they spilled down my cheeks. The sobs wracked my body and I twined my fingers in my hair and pulled. The case was beginning to be too much. I would never tell anyone that, but I needed something to get the stress out of my body or I was going to explode.

"Bella, what is going on?" Garrett shouted as he ran over to my side and turned me to face him.

"He's so young Garrett! They all are! I can't even imagine-"I was cut off by another sob that escaped and I buried my face in Garrett's chest. Though he was also my boss, Garrett was always like a father to me, since my own was never around.

"Shhh, Bella it's alright. Calm down, deep breaths." He told me as he rubbed circles on my back and I took a couple of deep, calming breaths. "There's my girl. Now what is going on?" He asked me and I sighed.

"I just went and explained to the Call family what was going on and why they were getting placed in protective custody. Embry was so scared. He started crying in my arms Garrett. This little fourteen year old boy was crying in the arms of a complete stranger because he misses his two best friends." I told him as I closed my eyes and more tears leaked down my cheeks.

"Bella, this is hard on him I'm sure. But you have to be strong for this family. You can't break down like this every time something like that makes you sad. You have been under a lot of stress lately because of this case. All that stress is not healthy for you Bella. You need to find something to help release all that tension, or I am taking you off of this case and I mean that. I know this means a lot to you, but it is not worth risking your health and well-being over. Is that understood?" He told me truthfully and I nodded. "Good, now I want you to take the rest of the week off and I don't want you back in here until Monday. Agent Cullen can take over until then. He is perfectly capable of handling things down here for a couple days. I mean it Bella." He told me and I sighed. I didn't argue because I knew it was for the best. I needed some rest and I wasn't going to get it by myself unless someone forced me. Garrett was now forcing me.

"Thank you, Garrett." I said quietly and he smiled sadly at me before standing up and going back to his office. I sighed, placing my head on my desk and closed my eyes. "Newton." I called out and he walked over with a worried look on face.

"Yeah boss?" He answered in a knowing tone that told me he had just witnessed my breakdown.

"Get everyone back in the conference room please. I have an announcement." I said quietly and he nodded before running off to gather everyone together. Edward was already in the conference room along with everyone else when I walked in. They all looked up at me with pity and sadness in their eyes. "Alright guys, so Garrett has ordered me out of the office until Monday. Edward will be taking over completely until then. You know where to reach me if you need me." I told them and Garrett strode into my room.

"No one is to contact Agent Swan until Monday. She has been under too much stress because of this case and it is becoming too much for her. This is important you guys. If she continues to live this way, it could become too much for her body to handle and it could shut down. If anyone so much as sends her a text regarding this case, I will personally see to it that you lose your job. Is that understood?" He said and I gasped.

"No Garrett you can't do this!" I cried out as I stomped my foot down.

"Isabella Marie don't you argue with me!" He ordered me, furry in his voice.

"Garrett you can't just cut me out of the case. I will take the days off, no argument there, I know I need that, but if my team needs me for something then I should be able to help them! Don't be ridiculous!" I shouted at him.

"I gave my orders and they still stand." He said as he turned back to the team and I gasped. "Is that understood?" He shouted at them and I saw my team jump.

"Yes sir." They called out and I sank into a chair as Garrett stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The room was silent and everyone sat around the table, looking at me in shock and sadness. I sniffed and wiped my eyes quickly before looking up at my team.

"Well, you heard him. And I don't want any of you to lose your jobs. So don't worry about me. I will be ok and I will be back one hundred percent on Monday." I told them, trying to make my voice sound confident and collected. It just came out raspy and upset.

"Boss, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we just want you to be ok. You always take care of us, now it is our turn to take care of you. We are in good hands, Bella, don't worry about the case. Take the time you need to get yourself together and get the rest that you need and when you come back on Monday you will have a whole new perspective on this case that might just help you solve it." McCarty said as he stood up and I was in shock that those words came from his young mouth.

"Thanks Rookie." I told him sincerely as I smiled at him and he nodded before smiling sheepishly and sitting back down. "Alright well, I better get going. I'll see you all on Monday." I told them and they nodded and murmured their goodbyes as I gathered my things, reluctantly leaving the case files on Edward's desk, before heading out to my car.

"Bella! Wait up!" I heard some call behind me and I turned to see Edward running to catch up to me.

"What's up, Edward?" I asked him as he bent over and tried to catch his breath.

"What are you doing Sunday night?" He asked me and I looked at him in shock of where this might be going. "Oh God no that's not what I meant! I'm not asking you out Bella. I was thinking if you wanted, I could swing by on Sunday night and give you an update on the case, just so that you are ready to work again on Monday." He offered and I gapped at him.

"Edward, I can't ask you to do that. You could lose your job!" I told him and he chuckled.

"I don't care Bella. I have always looked to find another agent that feels about their job the way I do. You feel the same way Bella. I know it would drive me absolutely crazy to have to go through what you are about to, and I want to help you. Garrett is not going to find out unless you tell him and even if he does, he is not going to fire me." He told me and I sighed.

"Alright, I would love that. But only if you are sure, Edward. I don't want you to lose your job over me." I told him and he nodded and smiled.

"I will see you Monday Bella. Have a nice week off." He told me and I sighed and rolled my eyes. I climbed in my car and drove home. I got inside and looked at the time. I sighed before picking up the phone and quickly dialing Jared's number.

"Hey gorgeous." He answered on the first ring and I smiled.

"Hey you. What are you doing?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"Just got off of work, which you know, what about you?" He asked me.

"I actually just got home. Do you want to come over and hang out before we go out tonight?" I asked him and he was silent for some time on the other end.

"Yeah I'll be there inna few. Love you."

"Love you too." I replied before I hung up the phone and quickly ran into my room. I put on my black lace bra and pantie set underneath my floor length, black, silk robe that was practically see through. I contemplated putting heels on as well, but quickly shook that idea away and went into the bathroom. I took my hair out of the bun it was in and quickly shook it out, giving it a sexy look. I dabbed some lip gloss on my lips and spritzed some perfume just in time for the buzzer to go off.

"Yes?" I called into the intercom.

"Babe, it's me." Jared's voice called from the other end and I buzzed him in. A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door and I opened it slowly, leaning against the door frame. I looked up at him from beneath my lashes and saw his mouth drop.

"Hey." I purred seductively as I smiled at him.

"Bella, you look-"He started but I cut him off by pulling him roughly into my apartment, closing and locking the door behind him. "What brought this on?" He asked me curiously and I giggled.

"I need something to relieve some stress. I figured that since we haven't been together in a while, rather than go workout or run or something, I could be with you and make us both happy." I told him and he smiled.

"God I've missed you Bella." He said before he crashed his lips to mine. I moaned and threw myself into the kiss as he lifted me. I wrapped my legs around his waist and his hands went straight to my ass. I ground my arousal into his passionately and he groaned into my mouth. He walked us to the bedroom and threw me down on the bed.

"Wow." He said and I giggled.

"Wow is right. That was amazing." I told him and he nodded. I was lying with my head on Jared's chest as I gently ran my fingers over his chest muscles. He had his arms wrapped around me, one around my shoulders and one around my waist as his fingers drew figure eights on my lower back. We were a tangle of arms and limbs under the sheets in my apartment.

"I love you Bella." He whispered and I smiled and kissed his chest.

"I love you too, Jared." I replied and he lifted my chin and pressed his lips against mine gently. "So what time are we meeting everyone at the café?" I asked him and he smiled down at me.

"Eight." He replied simply and I looked at the clock to see that is was already six.

"I guess we should probably start getting ready then." I sighed and he nodded.

"Wait, Bella, what's going on?" He asked me cautiously and I sighed, knowing this was coming.

"Jared, I had a breakdown at work today. I had a little fourteen year old boy in my arms crying his eyes out because he missed his two dead best friends, and it was too much. I couldn't handle that on top of everything else. I broke down. I went back to my desk and just start sobbing." I explained and he looked at me sadly.

"What do you mean everything else Bella? What else has happened?" He asked me carefully and I sighed.

"Jared, Garrett brought another team in to work with us. It just so happens to be Cullen's team. I hated the idea at first. And then I started to get used to it, and I learned to accept it. But it was very stressful to think that I would have to share my team with Edward Cullen of all people. But anyways, the Embry thing just put me over the edge. So Garrett found me crying and he kind of told me I couldn't go back into work until Monday." I said the last part really quietly and really fast and Jared chuckled.

"Baby, I know you are upset about this, but it is a good thing for you. I'm not saying this because I don't like this case, as you know; I am saying it because it is the truth. You need a break Bells. Garrett gave you one. I know you are pissed at him but you have to look at it as a good thing." He told me and I sighed and nodded.

"It's kind of hard to not look as something as a good thing after what we just did." I told him as I giggled and he laughed.

"I love you baby." He told me and I laughed.

"I love you too." I replied. "Now we really should get ready. Come one, I am ready for a fun night out with my sex God of a boyfriend and our amazingly embarrassing friends." I told him as I sat up and wrapped my robe tightly around me. Jared laughed until I turned around and his laugh turned into a groan.

"We really aren't going to be going anywhere unless you cover up." He said in a husky voice and I looked down and giggled.

"Ooopps." I said when I realized that, instead of grabbing my white robe, I had grabbed my black silk slip that I wore over my lingerie, which showed my completely naked body underneath. I laughed and sashayed to the bathroom before winking at Jared over my shoulder and shutting and locking the door behind me. This was going to be a fun night.

**_a/n: well there you have it! review!:)_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! Enjoy!:)_**

**_hellotocarissa:)_**

I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror of the bathroom, as I had been doing for the past twenty minutes. I groaned in frustration and stormed out of the bathroom.

"I give up! Jared we are not going out tonight!" I yelled. Jared was lying on my bed, now completely dressed.

"Bella what are you talking about?" He asked me. I opened my mouth to talk but be cut me off before I could. "Before you tell me, can you please put some clothes on or cover up with something? I am starting to get a very uncomfortable problem right now that I would rather not deal with." He told me as he gestured to my slip and I sighed before grabbing my white robe and switching them out so the robe was fully covering me. "Thank you, now what is going on?" He asked me.

"I said we aren't going out tonight!" I repeated and he scoffed.

"Well why the hell not?" He asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Because of this!" I yelled back as I gestured to my crazy sex hair. "It is completely impossible! There is absolutely nothing I can do with it!" I explained and he laughed before patting the bed next to him. I sat next to him and he kissed my cheek lightly.

"First of all, we are going out tonight whether you can tame your hair or not. Second of all, you are beautiful no matter what but you are especially gorgeous knowing I did that to your hair." He told me and I slapped his chest.

"Jared this isn't funny!" I whined and he chuckled.

"You didn't let me finish. Third of all, I am sure if you just get in the shower it will be fine. We have plenty of time. Just jump in the shower really fast and then you will be fine." He told me and I gasped.

"Good idea. Thanks baby." I said gratefully before kissing him lightly and jumping up to get in the shower. I took a fast shower and sighed in relief when my hair was normal again. I wrapped up in a towel and headed back out to the bedroom.

"Better?" Jared asked me from the same spot he was in before. I smiled and nodded my head. I grabbed a black bra and underwear set from my drawer and dropped the towel to put it on. I heard Jared groaned and I looked up to see him looking at me with darkened, lust filled eyes. "Bella, you are unbelievably sexy." He told me, his voice husky, as he got up and started walking over to me. I giggled and backed up, holding my hand out to stop him from getting to close.

"Jared, we don't have time for me to take another shower to get rid of sex hair again." I warned him through my giggles.

"I don't care Isabella. I want you and I want you right now." He growled as his hands gripped my hips and he crashed his lips to mine. I groaned and responded quickly to the kiss as I fought a mental battle. I knew we needed to get ready to leave, but I was being distracted by everything he was doing to me at the moment. It all felt too good. Jared broke his lips from mine and kissed down my neck as he reached around to undo my bra. Once he did this, the haze lifted and I could think clearly. I gasped and pushed Jared away.

"We can't Jared. Not right now, anyways. We have to get going soon and we haven't been out in forever. Please, I really need this tonight." I pleaded with him and I saw his eyes lighten as he sighed.

"You're right, Bella. As much as I want you right now we haven't really hung out in a long time. I guess we can go out and then you are definitely coming back to my place to spend the night." He told me as he wrapped his arms around my waste and pulled me into him.

"Sounds amazing baby." I said as I placed my hands on his chest and snuggled my head into his neck. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I love you Bella." He whispered.

"I love you too Jared." I whispered back. We sat like that for a few more moments before I pulled away from him and pecked his lips lightly. I walked back into the bathroom and sighed as I leaned against the counter and closed my eyes. I rolled my head around to loosen the muscles in my neck. I plugged in my blow dryer and straightener before picking out what makeup I wanted to use. I quickly put my makeup on before drying my hair and running the straightener over each layer carefully. When I was finished, my hair hung straight down my back, each layer curving in slightly to give it some volume. My bangs curved over my face nicely. I ran my hands through it a few times before smiling and walking back out to the bedroom. I looked through my closet and groaned in frustration.

"Something wrong baby?" Jared asked me as he came up behind me.

"I don't know what to wear! Where are we going again?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"Just to the café, wear something comfortable." He told me before kissing my cheek and walking back out to the living room. I grabbed a pair of jeans and my gray long sleeved shirt and quickly put the outfit on. I looked in my body mirror and smiled. The jeans fit my hips and thighs tightly and then flared out at my shins slightly. I had put on my gray flats that matched my shirt perfectly. The long sleeved shirt hugged my body tightly and showed off all my curves as well as some cleavage. I spritzed on some perfume, rubbed on some lip gloss, and fluffed my hair before grabbing my hand bag and walking out to the living room.

"You ready to go babe?" I called out to Jared, who was in the kitchen.

"Yeah just a second!" He called back. I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on, buttoning it up, and wrapping my scarf around my neck. "Bella, you look absolutely beautiful." Jared said as he walked up behind me and pulled me back into his chest. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thank you handsome. You ready to go?" I asked as I smiled up at me.

"Let's go have fun." He answered and I squealed before taking his hand and pulling him out the door behind me, locking up, and heading down to the car. I got into the passenger seat of Jared's car and smiled over at him as he got in the driver's side and started the car, heading to the café. The café was only about ten minutes from my apartment so we were there very soon.

"Bella!" I heard my best friend, Emily Young, squeal once we walked into the café.

"Hey Em! How are you?" I asked her as she wrapped me in a tight hug.

"I am just wonderful now that my best friend is here! I've missed you Bell." She told me, the last part with a hint of sadness in her tone.

"I know Em, I've missed you too!" I told her and I sighed before hugging her again.

"Well, we should go say hi to everyone else. But, before we go, I want to ask how things with Jared are going? I know you have that new case you have been working on and I can't imagine that things are exactly easy between you two right now." She said and I sighed.

"You know Em, he is actually handling my case a lot better than I expected. I mean he has brought up some concerns but really he has been absolutely wonderful about the whole thing. I know we don't see each other very often anymore and I am so sorry about that but he seems to understand what is going on and why I have been so distant." I explained and she nodded.

"That's great to hear Bella. I am really happy that you two are still ok." She told me and I smiled and nodded. We headed over to the table where everyone was and I smiled as I said hi.

"Good to see you Bella! We have missed your clumsy ass around here." Rosalie Hale, a really good friend of mine, said and I giggled and blushed.

"Missed you too, bitch." I snapped back and she laughed and hugged me close.

"Shit I missed you!" She yelled and I laughed and kissed her cheek and winked. I sat down in the booth next to Jared and Emily squeezed in beside me.

"So Jasper, what's this I hear about a new girlfriend?" I asked Jasper Hale, Rosalie's older brother. Jasper had always been like a brother to me. He was a year older than Rose and I. Rose, Jazz, and I had met during junior high and, after dating Jasper for a week and realizing it wasn't going to work, we all became close friends.

"Yeah, her name is Alice. She should be coming by in a little bit with her twin brother, though they look absolutely nothing alike." He told me as he chuckled and I smiled when I saw the love in his eyes for this Alice girl.

"I can't wait to meet her!" I said happily. He chuckled and nodded his head.

"I can't wait for you to meet her. I am really crazy about this girl Bells, and since she has already met Rosie, she just needs to meet my other favorite girl." He told me as he winked and I giggled.

"Alright, enough about my brother's new girlfriend. How about a toast? To old friends and new friends. To people to love and cherish and to share your life with. To getting together again!" Rosalie called out and we all raised our glasses and clinked them together before chugging the remnants of our drinks.

"Next round is on me!" I yelled and all of my friends cheered. I bought everyone's drinks and slowly sipped my own as I waited for Jared to come back from the bathroom.

"Bella!" I heard Jasper call me and I looked over to see him holding hands with a small, pixie-like girl with black spikey hair. I smiled and made my way over to the couple.

"Hey guys. So I take it this is Alice?" I asked Jasper in a warm and friendly voice.

"You are right, sugar. Bella, this is my girlfriend Alice. Ali, this is my best friend since junior high, Bella." Jasper introduced us and I smiled at the girl as I put my hand out for her to shake.

"Oh none of that." She said happily before launching herself into my arms and wrapped me in a hug. I laughed and hugged her back.

"I like this girl Jazzy Boo." I teased him with his old nickname and winked at him.

"Oh God Bella! Don't start with that dumb nickname again please!" He begged as he groaned and I giggled.

"I like it Bella." Alice piped up and I laughed as I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and winked.

"So does he, he just doesn't want to admit it." I whispered and we laughed. "Alright well, I am going to go find my man and dance. You two lovebirds have some fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do Jazz." I said and he blushed at my comment.

"See you later Bells." Jazz said as he hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek. I laughed and went off in search of Jared.

"Hey Emily!" I called when I spotted her talking to Rosalie.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" She asked.

"Have you guys seen Jared anywhere? He went to the bathroom a while ago and I can't find him." I pouted and Emily laughed as she pointed to Jared, who just happened to be right behind me talking to a guy.

"Hey baby! I want to dance! Come dance with me!" I called out as I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I was currently on my fourth Long Island Iced Tea and was pretty drunk.

"Hey Bells, how many drinks have you had?" Jared asked me wearily and I shrugged and giggled. He rolled his eyes before turning back to the person he was talking to.

"Hey man, this is my girlfriend Bella. Bells, this is Alice's brother, Edward." He told me and my eyes snapped up to meet his green ones.

"Edward! What are you doing here!" I yelled as I jumped on him and hugged him tightly.

"Bella, hey, Alice brought me along to meet her new boyfriend." He told me and I giggled.

"Alice is one lucky girl to have Jazzy Boo so wrapped around her itty bitty finger." I slurred and Jared laughed.

"Oh man, please excuse her. That is most likely her fourth or fifth drink and it only takes two to get to kind of drunk so she's bad now. Jasper really is a great guy." Jared told me as he wrapped his arm around my waist and supported my weight to keep me from stumbling.

"Jared! I am no drunk! This is only my fourth drink! I can't believe you would even imply such a thing!" I scoffed before breaking off into a fit of giggles.

"No worries Jared. It's actually nice to see she knows how to have fun and she isn't always the uptight girl at the office." Edward said and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Uptight my ass!" I yelled and both he and Jared laughed at my immatureness.

"So you work at the FBI too? What is your job?" Jared asked me curiously.

"I am also a field agent, like Bella. I run a different team. Same division, different team. We actually just got paired up to work on the Black case." He told him and I sighed as I thought about my team working on the case without me.

"How is that going, Edward? Any new discoveries?" I asked him, hoping he would just tell me.

"No nothing new. Your team is being very cooperative, but it is very clear that they miss you immensely." Edward told me and I frowned.

"I miss them too." I said quietly and Jared gently kissed my head.

"Hey, look at me Bella. Garrett said you needed this and I completely agree. You love your job too much. It's just a job Bella. Besides, this gives you a week to spend with me." Jared said happily and I put a fake smile on my face and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. It's just a job." I agreed and he hugged me gently.

"That's my girl. Now I am going to go catch up with Jasper. I'll see you later ok babe?" He asked me and I nodded and kissed him quickly before he headed off and I stumbled at the loss of his support. Edward quickly took his place and led me over to an empty booth. He slid me into one side and he slid himself into the other.

"What?" I asked him when he was looking at me with a sad and confused look on his face.

"Just a job Bella?" He repeated the words Jared and I had exchanged and I sighed.

"He doesn't understand Edward and I am sick of fighting to try to make him understand. He is never going to understand why my job is so important to me. He doesn't get why I have to dedicate myself like I do. I guess I understand where he is coming from, I mean he is in love with a girl who is more in love with her job then she is with him. I feel terrible that I can't see him more often but I can't give it up. I don't know whether it is the adrenaline or the rush of catching a bad guy or the family feel I get from my team. But I can't give any of it up. I don't know if that makes me selfish or if it means I don't love Jared like I think I do. And I can't be any less dedicated, that's how people get hurt or killed and I can't stand that." I opened up to Edward so easily, a lot easier than I could anyone else, even Emily or Rose.

"Bella, I can see in your eyes that you love Jared and he loves you. Sometimes, love isn't enough. When you work in the field we do, Bells, the one you love has to understand what your job means. They have to understand how you feel about it and why you feel that way. I'm not saying that Jared isn't right for you, I can see how obviously happy he makes you, but maybe try telling him what you just told me. He might be able to understand. If he really loved you he would at least try to understand." He told me and I sighed and nodded my head sadly, knowing Edward was right.

"Alright, I will talk to him about it. It's just that every time I try to make him understand or explain it, he basically shuts down and stops listening. He is already being so great about it, how can I ask him for more. He already gives me so much. He has put up with all of this for six months. Ever since I got assigned to this Black case, his patience has been wearing and I can see that it is almost gone. I have got to pretend that I feel the same way, or I may just lose him, and I can't lose him." I gasped as a sob ripped through my body and tears spilt down my cheeks. Edward came over to sit next to me and pulled me into a hug.

"It's going to be ok, Bella. If you lose him that just means that he isn't the right man for you." He told me and I calmed my sobs and wiped the tears from cheeks before pulling back and smiling at Edward.

"Thank you, for everything." I told him and he smiled and nodded.

"Hey Bells, you ready to get out of here?" Jared asked me as he came over to the booth where Edward and I were sitting.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." I said quietly and Jared took my hand and began pulling me out of the café. I looked over at my shoulder at Edward and saw a hint of an emotion I didn't want to recognize in his eyes. I smiled back at him, knowing my eyes had the same emotion in theirs, before looking away and following Jared to the car. I didn't want to feel anything for Edward, much less what I was feeling now. No, I wasn't feeling these feelings for Edward. _I'm just drunk and don't know what I am feeling. I am in love with Jared. I am with Jared. _I thought to myself before shaking it off completely and squeezing Jared's hand. He was who I belonged with. Right?

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	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: Hey guys! Here is your next chappie!:) Hope you enjoy!:)._**

**_xoxo, hellotocarissa:)_**

"Jared, can I talk to you about something?" I asked him as he laid me in his bed and handed me a glass of water and an Advil to help with my headache.

"Of course Bella, but why don't we talk in the morning? You should get some rest babe." He said and I sighed and shook my head.

"No Jared this can't wait. I need to talk to you now before I lose the nerve." I told him and he looked at me curiously before sitting beside me and waiting. "It's about my job." I told him and he groaned.

"Bella, we have had this conversation before and, frankly, I don't want to talk about it right now." He said and I glared at him and crossed my arms.

"No Jared! I am sick of letting you decide when we can and cannot talk about this. We need to have this conversation whether you like it or not and we are going to have it now whether you like it or not. So, just shut up and listen to me for once in your God damn life!" I hissed at him and he sighed and looked down, but stayed silent so I continued. "I love my job. It was my entire life before I met you. Then I fell in love with you. Now I am trying to balance my job and my boyfriend and it is not easy. But you need to stop making me feel guilty for being so dedicated and so happy with what I love to do. I understand why you may not understand because you don't know what it feels like to do something you love. You are only in your line of work because it was your father's dream for you to follow in his footsteps. I also completely understand why you feel like you have to do as he wished. But Jared, this is my dream. It has been ever since I was a little girl. There is nothing you can say or do that will ever change my mind! I need you to at least try and accept this. I'm not asking you to be ok with it, just accept it." I pleaded him and I saw anger flash through his eyes and then sadness and guilt and I knew his answer before he could say anything, but I still hoped it would come out differently.

"Bella, you know I love you, but I can't accept it. You don't need to be so dedicated to this job to be happy. I can make you happy. I can give you everything that you need. A roof over your head, money, a family. You know I want you to stay home when we decide to get married and have kids anyways. Why wait until then?" He asked me and I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears and I sniffed and looked down.

"I don't want that Jared. I don't even know if I want kids much less to be a stay at home mom." I told him truthfully and he gasped.

"Bella, how can you not want kids? You would make such a wonderful mother." He told me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I just don't want them. Never have and I don't think I ever will." I replied and he sighed.

"I don't know what we are going to do then Bella. I want kids more than anything and I want a wife that wants kids as much as I do and wants to stay home and raise them while I support us." He told me and I rolled my eyes.

"So what are you saying?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"I think we both have a lot to think about. Whether this relationship is worth the time, work, effort, and sacrifices we will both have to put forward and make. I love you Bella but I don't know how much longer I can put up with this." He told me and I gasped as I fought to keep the sobs in my body. I stared at him for a little bit before reaching over to grab my phone off of the nightstand. "What are you doing?" He asked me as I dialed the familiar number.

"I am calling Jasper to come pick me up. I don't have my car and I need to go home." I told him and he nodded before going to the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

"Bella, what's up?" Jasper answered on the fifth ring and I sniffed.

"Jasper, can you come pick me up. I am at Jared's house." I told him.

"Bella what happened? Did he hurt you? Why do you need me to come get you?" Jasper bombarded me with questions and I could hear the worry and anger in his voice.

"Please, just hurry up. I will explain when you get here. I just can't be here anymore." I whispered the last part.

"Of course Bella, I am on my way." He said quickly before he hung up. I gathered my things and looked towards the bathroom door once more before I headed back into the living room by the front door, closing the bedroom behind me, and sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Jasper was there quickly and Jared was still hiding in the bathroom. I headed out to the car and stopped short when I saw Alice in the front seat and Edward in the back. "Bella, are you ok?" Jasper asked furiously as he jumped out of the car and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Jasper, I think he is going to break up with me." I confided and he sighed.

"Oh Bella, Jared loves you so much. Why do you think that?" He asked me sadly.

"I talked to him about trying to understand my job and why I love it so much and can't give it up and he started talking about how he wants kids and a wife that will stay home and take care of them while he works and supports them. I told him the truth, that I didn't think I wanted the same things and if I did; it wouldn't be any time soon. He flipped and said that our relationship isn't worth the effort and we both needed to think seriously about where it was going." I told him before letting the sobs take over my body.

"Alice, come get Bella please, I need to go have a talk with Jared." Jasper said angrily and I latched onto Jasper's shirt and shook my head furiously.

"No, please Jasper! I just want to get out of here." I pleaded and he nodded before ushering me into the backseat next to Edward and he took the driver's seat once again and we headed off towards my apartment. I tried to quiet the sobs for Alice and Edward's sakes, but each time I would relax, another sob would shake my body and burst out, the tears continuously flowing down my cheeks. Edward quickly took my hand and squeezed it gently, but kept his eyes away from me. I was grateful for both. The ride home was silent, Jasper throwing worried glances at me through the mirror the entire ride. I sighed and looked out the window when I couldn't take it anymore. We pulled into my complex and I got out of the car and grabbed my things from the back seat.

"Bella, I don't want you to be alone tonight. Let me go and drop Ali and Edward off and then I am coming back to stay with you." Jasper told me and I shook my head.

"No, Jazzy I can't let you do that. Go spend the night doing what you were going to do before I called and ruined it." I told him. I had managed to stop the sobs, but tears were still leaking down my cheeks.

"Absolutely not Isabella, Alice will understand if I have to reschedule, but you are not going to be alone tonight." He told me and I sighed.

"I can stay with her Jasper. I don't mind and that way you and Alice can still follow through on your plans." Edward offered and I looked at him in shock.

"I can stay by myself! I am not some kid that needs to be babysat!" I yelled and they looked at me sadly.

"Bella, I don't trust you to be alone tonight. Not after that just happened with Jared." Jasper said and I groaned.

"Fine then, Edward can stay with me. I don't want to ruin your thing with Alice." I told him and he nodded and hugged me tightly.

"I love you Bella and if you need anything at all I am just a phone call away." He whispered and I nodded and hugged him back tightly.

"Thank you Jasper." I said quietly and he smiled before handing me over to Edward and driving away with Alice. I lead Edward up to my apartment and he closed the door behind him as I slipped off my coat and scarf, hanging both up.

"Do you want something to eat or drink?" I asked him and when he didn't answer, I turned around to see him staring at me with a gleam and sadness in his eyes. I felt something stir inside of me. Here we go.

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	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoy!(:_**

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" I repeated my original question to Edward when he just stood there staring at me.

"Do you have any alcohol in this place?" He asked me, snapping out of his silence, as he walked over and started searching through my cabinets.

"Yeah, over here." I said as I led him to my cupboard reserved for alcohol. I opened it and let him search through my collection as I grabbed a glass of ice water.

"You want something?" He asked me and I shook my head and groaned.

"No thank you, my head is still pounding from how much I drank earlier." I told him and he chuckled. I lay my head down on the counter and closed my eyes, willing the ringing in my ears to go away.

"Maybe you should go lay down, Bella. You don't look too good." He told me and I nodded and tried to stand, only to catch my foot on the chair and stumble. Edward caught me quickly and laughed as he shook his head. "What are we going to do with you?" He asked me and I shrugged as he lifted me easily into his arms and carried me to the bedroom, with my directions on how to get there. He lay me down on the bed before looking around the room.

"What are you looking for?" I asked him quietly.

"Your pajamas, you are not going to bed in that." He told me before gesturing to my outfit. I rolled my eyes and stood up slowly to gain my balance before walking over to my dresser and getting out a pair of boxer shorts and one of Jared's t-shirts. I threw them at Edward before climbing back into the bed. He chuckled but didn't say anything, instead opting for carefully and with as little touching as possible undressing me and quickly putting on the outfit I had given him.

"Thank you Edward." I said as I brought the shirt up and smelled it, freezing when I realized what I was wearing. As I felt the anger flare up inside of me I sat up and ripped the shirt off of my body, throwing it into the trash can next to my bed, and I sniffed, trying to keep the tears from breaking through.

"Oh, Bella, what happened?" Edward asked me sadly as he sat down on the bed and pulled me into his arms in a comforting hug.

"I took your advice, I tried talking to him about my job, he wouldn't have it. He said that he wants to marry someone who will be a wife and a stay home mother and that's it. He didn't even care when I said that I didn't even know if I wanted kids much less to stay home with them and quit my job. He flipped out and told me that he needs some time to think about where our relationship is going." I explained as the tears fell and Edward sighed as he rocked me back and forth on his lap.

"Bella, I am so sorry, I didn't think he would react that way." Was all Edward said before he stayed silent and just let me cry out all my tears, soaking his shirt.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I ruined your shirt." I told him and he chuckled sadly.

"Don't worry about it Bella, it is just a shirt." He replied and I sighed before laying back. I didn't realize the position we were in until I opened my eyes. My legs had been straddling his lap so I was lying down with my legs still wrapped around his waist, with nothing but a bra and boxer shorts on. Edward's hands were gripping my hips and his eyes darkened as they roamed my exposed body. I was frozen with the intenseness of his stare, and I felt myself blush at the attention he was giving my body, something Jared never did. I knock at my door broke through our bubble and I scrambled to throw Jared's shirt back on before going to answer it.

"Bella, Jasper called me and told me what happened. Are you ok?" Emily burst through the door and grabbed me in a hug as soon as I opened it.

"Yeah, Em, I am ok right now. Edward is staying with me and has really been helping me cope." I told her and she glanced back through the hallway towards the bedroom.

"Oh really? Well Bella just be careful, I don't want you to do something with him that you will regret." She told me carefully and I rolled my eyes.

"Emily I am not having sex with Edward. He just offered to stay with me for the night so that Jasper could still be with Alice." I explained and she nodded before hugging me again.

"Ok well, call me if you need me and I will be right over. I love you Bella, be careful." She warned again before she turned around and walked back out the door. I closed it behind her and locked the deadbolt before heading back to the bedroom, turning all of the lights off on the way. I smiled when I saw Edward lying under the covers on my bed flipping through TV channels. I flipped the light off and climbed in under the covers next to him.

"I hope you don't mind me sleeping in the bed with you, I can go out on the couch if you want me to." He told me as he sat up.

"Oh don't be silly Edward. I don't bite in my sleep I promise." I told him and he chuckled before he lay back down and continued to look for a channel to watch. I turned on my side and closed my eyes as sleep quickly overtook me.

EPOV:

I sighed as I looked through the TV channels, trying to find something to watch. I heard Bella's breathing even out and I smiled as I looked over at her. She looked so peaceful when she slept. I closed my eyes and groaned, trying to push down the feelings that had resurfaced for the second time tonight. I knew I was in love with Isabella Swan when she held out first team meeting and I saw her passion for her work and realized it mirrored my own passion. My feelings just got stronger as I saw how she interacted with her team, not being bossy or rude but more working with them, including herself in the teamwork. When I saw her at the café earlier tonight, my breath was taken away at how beautiful she looked. I felt my heart break when I saw her wrap her arms around Jared, the guy I was talking to. Of course she would have a boyfriend, she was amazing after all. When Jasper got her phone call, I could hear her loud and clear through the phone. I could tell she was upset and crying and I could hear the desperation in her voice. I felt my panic when Jasper turned around and sped off in the opposite direction of where we were originally headed.

"Jazz, what's going on?" Alice asked the question that was in my head.

"That was Bella, her and Jared got into an argument and I think they broke up. She asked me to come pick her up. She was really upset over the phone." Jasper said through gritted teeth.

"Why are you so angry?" Alice asked.

"I am so close to beating the shit out of Jared if I find out he hurt her again." He replied.

"What do you mean again?" I piped up and Jasper sighed.

"When they were dating for about four months, Bella and Jared got into a huge fight about her job. He said that she was paying too much attention to her job and not enough to him and threatened to break things off if she didn't quit. She stormed out of the room, refusing to quit and saying that if he was going to make her choose between her boyfriend and her job then he wasn't the right one for her. The next day he came and apologized and they were ok again. A few days later, Bella went over to his place to surprise him and found him having sex with his ex-girlfriend. Bella left and was completely heartbroken. She made everyone that knows to swear to not say anything and to this day, Jared has no idea that she caught them in bed together and he hasn't said anything to her. Bella may have forgiven him but I never have and I never will. This is the last straw." He said as he sped off to pick Bella up.

It was because of that conversation in the car that, when I got the phone call from Alice that she needed me to meet them at Jared's house, I knew exactly why, and I was completely on board. After all, he hurt the woman I love, and that will never be ok.

**_A/N: Review!(:_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Hey Guys! Sorry for the late update, I've just been super busy lately._**

POV  
>I woke up and sighed as I stretched out my sore muscles. I froze when my hand came in contact with a body and smiled when I saw Edward's sleeping figure lying next to me. He looked so peaceful. I let my eyes roam over his bare back to the rise where the sheet covered his, no doubted amazing ass. They roamed back up to his disheveled hair, even more of a mess from tossing and turning I guessed and I gasped when they fell on his bruised knuckles. I know for sure they weren't like that last night. I quickly averted my attention elsewhere when Edward began to stir and slowly awoke from his slumber.<p>

"Good morning." He said cheerily as he yawned and stretched.

"Morning." I replied before I climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. I took two Advil to cure my pounding headache before brushing my teeth and throwing my disastrous hair into a bun on the top of my head. When I was finished in the bathroom, Edward was sitting up in bed looking at something on his phone screen. "Coffee?" I asked him simply.

"Black please." He replied casually and I nodded before heading to the kitchen and putting a pot of coffee on. I looked through my cupboards and refrigerator for something to make for breakfast and sighed when I found nothing. "We can go out and get something if you would like." Edward said from behind me and I jumped.

"I would make something but I haven't had a chance to go shopping so I don't really have anything to make. I usually just eat breakfast at the office." I replied and he smiled.

"It's no problem Bella, I was actually going to suggest going out anyways. You had a long night, no need for cooking." He told me and I smiled slightly before I had to swallow the tears back from thinking about last night. I mentally smacked myself, why was I still crying over this?

"Yeah going out is fine. I just need to change really fast." I told him and he nodded before smiling sadly.

"Take all the time you need. I'm just going to call Alice and checkup; let her know the plans. Did you want me to invite them to breakfast?" He asked me and I nodded, knowing that having Jasper there with me would make everything a lot easier. I went to search through my closet and picked out a pair of comfy jeans and a sweatshirt, throwing it on over a bra, before heading back out to the living room to put on my sneakers.

"Almost ready." I called, not really knowing where Edward had gone. I finished tying my sneakers and looked around. I spotted him outside on the deck, seeming to be in a very heated conversation. I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes, letting the memories from the previous night flood my mind. I choked back a sob as I replayed my fight with Jared over and over in my head. I let the tears flood my eyes and leak down my cheeks. I heard my slider open and furiously wiped the tears from my face and took a deep breath, calming my sobs, and stood up.

"You ready to go?" He asked me and I nodded, looking down at my feet praying he wouldn't see the red streaks on my face. I sighed in relief when he didn't say anything and followed him out the door. I headed to my car, getting stopped by Edward before I could make it there.

"Hey, where do you think you are going? My car is this way." He told me and I shot him a confused expression.

"How is your car here? Jasper dropped us off." I said.

"Oh, right, well I had to run out really quick last night so Alice picked me up and took my home so I could get my car and then I drove it back here." He said quickly and I nodded.

"Ok, well I should probably still drive. That way you don't have to come back to drop me off." I told him and he nodded.

"Umm ok if you want to I guess that's ok." I nodded and walked the rest of the distance to my car. I climbed in and plopped my head on the steering wheel a little too hard. I groaned when I felt another headache beginning.

"Shit!" I cursed when I realized I had no clue where I was going. I contemplated dialing Edward, but thought twice and realized he was probably annoyed enough with me and called Jasper instead.

"Hey Bella, what's up?" He answered on the second ring.

"So, I am supposed to be driving to meet you for breakfast and I have absolutely no idea where I am going." I confessed and I heard him chuckle from the other end.

"Nell's Diner." He said and I smiled.

"Sounds good, thanks Jazz, see you in a little bit." I told him before hanging up and peeling out of the parking structure to head to one of my favorite places to eat. I pulled into the space and already saw Jasper, Alice and Edward sitting inside. I sighed and cleared my head before climbing out of my car and heading inside. Jasper was the first to see me and I saw the smile fade from his face as soon as he saw me. I guess my façade didn't fool him.

"Hey guys." I said cheerily as I walked up to the table and slid in next to Edward.

"Bella, how are you." Alice asked me and I shrugged slightly before I focused my attention on the menu in front of me. My phone started ringing and I grabbed it out of the bag, gasping when I saw Jared's name flashing across the screen.

"I can't…" I trailed off as I handed the phone to Jasper and got out of the booth, heading to the bathroom as quick as possible. I grabbed onto the sink as the sobs escaped, one after the other. I stayed in there for a while, just letting every emotion flood out of my body, until eventually, I felt better. I dried my eyes and walked back to the table. This time, I didn't try to hide my pain or my sadness with fake smiles. These were my friends, and they would be here for me. I was only hurting myself trying to hold it all inside. I sat down and continued to look over my menu.

"Thank you Jasper." I said quietly and he nodded.

"Just a forewarning Bella, Jared is most likely on his way over." He said and I sighed and nodded.

"Yeah I honestly kind of expected that." I answered and he nodded.

"Do you know what you're going to do yet?" He asked me and I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.

"I know that I am done hurting and feeling guilty for doing nothing wrong. I am done trying to make him understand my job and why I love it. I just don't see how this relationship is going to work. But I'm not sure what to do yet." I answered and he nodded.

"Well Bella, just follow your heart, it will always lead you in the right direction." Alice piped up and I smiled warmly at her.

"Alice, you are totally perfect for Jasper." I told her and she giggled and blushed.

"Thank you Bella." She replied quietly and I laughed.

"Bella!" I heard Jared yell and I looked behind me and rolled my eyes.

"Wish me luck guys." I whispered as I stood up and went to take Jared back outside.

"Bella, I am so sorry, please baby, take me back." He begged and I sighed.

"Jared, you know I love you right?" I asked him.

"Yes Bella and I love you too." He replied.

"Then let me go." I said quietly and he looked up at me.

"No, Bella please!" He begged as he grabbed my hand.

"Jared, if you love me, you will let me go. I want to be with you Jared, but we both know it's not going to work out. If I don't quit my job, we will keep fighting about it and you will keep trying to convince me to quit. If I do quit it, I will resent you for making me quit the one thing I love to do. Don't you see Jared? It's not going to work. As much as we love each other, it just isn't enough anymore." I told him sadly and he sighed.

"Did Jasper talk you into breaking up with me?" He spat and I looked at him in shock.

"What does Jasper have anything to do with this conversation?" I asked him.

"Bella, last night Jasper and that Edward guy came to my house." He told me and I looked at him in confusion. He lifted the sun glasses from his face and I gasped when I saw the huge black eye he had.

"Jared, oh my gosh I am so sorry! I had no idea they would do that." I told him.

"So was it Jasper?" He asked me and I rolled my eyes.

"No Jared, it was not Jasper. This is coming from the bottom of my heart. I love you but it's just not going to work out." I told him sadly and he sighed before turning and walking away. I walked back into the restaurant, feeling my anger flare. I silently walked to the table and grabbed my purse.

"Bella, how did it go?" Jasper asked me and I glared at him.

"Fine." I stated simply before turning and walking out of the diner.

"Bella! Wait!" Jasper called back and I turned to see him climbing out of the booth and running after me. "What happened?" He asked me.

"Well, I told him it wasn't going to work, he begged me to take him back, showed me the black eye you and Edward gave him, and the left." I seethed and he groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Bella, don't be mad please. He just made me so mad I couldn't sit back and let him hurt you like that again." He told me.

"What do you mean again Jasper?" I asked him, slightly confused and the look on his face was like he wanted to slap his hand over his mouth and pretend he never said anything.

"Nothing Bella, I just don't want to see you get hurt again, and the fact that he was hurting you made me mad, so I went to his house and punched him." He explained and I sighed.

"Jasper, I love that you care about me enough to do that, but you can't just go around and punch every guy that hurts me in some way." I told him and he sighed.

"I know Bella, I'm sorry." He said and I smiled at him.

"I forgive you Jazz." I replied as I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.

"So will you please come back inside and eat breakfast with us. I know you don't have any food in that apartment of yours and you need to get out anyways." He begged and I giggled and nodded my head. Jasper smiled and took my hand, pulling me back into the restaurant. He wrapped his arm around my waist to make me walk faster, tickling me in the process, and I squealed and giggled as I squirmed and tried to get away from him.

"Jasper knock it off! You know I don't like to be tickled!" I squealed and he laughed and kissed my head.

"Sorry Bella, I just couldn't help myself." He replied as he sat down next to Alice and I froze when I saw someone sitting next to Edward in the booth.

"…come on Eddie, let's go get some drinks." The girl begged in a whiny voice and I bit my lip to keep my laughter in at the look on Edward's face.

"Victoria, I just met you, and I am here with some friends. I would really appreciate it if you could leave now." He asked her, being very polite.

"Come one Eddie, you know you want to ditch these losers. Why hang with them when you can be with me in so many wonderful ways." She whined in what was supposed to be a seductive voice. Two more tries at seducing him and I was stepping in.

"Victoria I said no." He replied a little more sternly, shooting me a pleading look. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat.

"Excuse me, Victoria is it?" I sneered and she glanced up at me.

"Yes, who are you?" She asked.

"I believe you are sitting in my seat." I told her and she rolled her eyes.

"Well, tell Eddie here to come with me to have some real fun and I will be out of your way in no time." She said.

"His name is Edward first of all. Second of all, he has made it very clear he does not want to go with you, and I believe what you are doing can be considered a form of sexual harassment. You could get arrested for that so if you were smart you would just stop right now." I told her and she laughed.

"Oh yeah call the police." She challenged and I laughed.

"Why call them when I can just arrest you myself? Agent Isabella Swan at your service." I told her as I flashed her my badge. Her eyes widened and she jumped out of the seat and was out of the diner in a flash. I sat down in the seat and everyone laughed.

"Well that was easy." I admitted and I picked up the menu to decide on what I wanted to eat.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hey guys! So sorry I haven't been updating... again. Been extremely busy. But here is the last chapter. Also, I got some reviews in the previous chapters about how it made no sense that Bella hated Edward at the beginning so much. All I have to say is... trust me. Everything will be explained in due time. There is a reason she hated him so much and then got over it so quickly. Just have patience, my dear readers. Hope you love it!  
><strong>__**xoxo my lovlies  
><strong>__**hellotocarissa.**_

BPOV:

The days after my breakup with Jared were difficult to say the least. I sulked around my apartment for the most part, not having work to distract me. I was excited to go back the next Monday.

"Edward, I am telling you, we need to start categorizing Leah Clearwater as our number one suspect. She is the only one that we know of that had motives, other than Sam Uley, who seems to have a tight alibi." I tried to explain for the millionth time. Edward had been secretly debriefing me on the case, wanting to keep me involved seeing as I was the head of it.

"Bella, we have to look more into the Uley kid. There is something he is not telling us. And as far as his alibi goes, I think it is complete bullshit." He explained and I sighed and rubbed my temples with my fingers.

"Alright, then go question both of them. But I am telling you, something is not right about Leah. They are both hiding something." I said and Edward nodded his head in agreement.

"The team is all excited to have you back. They have all missed you." He said and I smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I have missed them too. I didn't realize how incomplete I would feel being off of work." I told him.

"I talked to Garrett today." He said casually and I nodded, pretending to just brush it off. Deep down, I was still extremely upset with Garrett. Even though his intentions were honorable, it was still my case and not only did he ask Edward to assist without my consent, he also ordered me to take a week off of the one thing that made me feel complete. "He misses you on this case too Bella. Things haven't really gone anywhere and he can see the team is starting to get discouraged. We have both tried to motivate them but things just aren't the same without you there, and he knows it." He explained and I nodded.

"Well, it serves him right. Hopefully that will teach him to not just decide for me when I do and don't need time off." I replied and Edward chuckled.

"Always so stubborn." He said, more to himself then me. I brushed off his smartass remark and dived back into the case files that Edward had snuck out of the office. Edward decided to call it a night around 11:30 and he headed home to get some sleep. There was something about the case that I felt like I was missing, so I continued to read over the same exact information I had read and reread over and over again for the past few months. I gasped when I found what I had been missing all along. Thank God the next day was Monday and I was headed back to work. I couldn't wait to follow my lead. I headed to bed with a confidence surrounding me. I was headed back to work the next morning with a new attitude and a new perspective on the case. I was sure we would solve this case sooner rather than later. I woke the next morning at 4:00. Two hours earlier than what I had planned, but it didn't matter to me. I knew there was no going back to sleep now. I got out of bed and jumped in the shower. I took my time, relishing in the feeling of getting ready for work. I stayed in the shower until the water went from steaming to barely warm and my skin was pruned before I turned the water off and climbed out, wrapping a towel around my body tightly. I ran a brush through my hair and headed out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. I went back to my room and grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with an FBI logo on the front. I quickly put on a comfortable bra and underwear set and headed back to the bathroom. I blew my hair dry and then brushed it back into a messy bun. Once again, skipping over my makeup drawer and putting on the outfit I had laid out. I looked at the clock to see that it was 5:30 by now, a reasonable time to head to the office. I grabbed my to-go mug of coffee, keys, and case files and headed to the familiar yet strange parking garage. I locked the car and headed to the stairs, wanting to take my time and enjoy the sensation I was feeling. Once I got to the office, I headed over to my desk and immediately sank back into the files, writing notes and ideas that I wanted to share with my team. Before I knew it, it was seven and the office quickly began to fill up. I caught a few hellos and welcome back's from people I worked with, but I was too focused on the case to do anything but wave back.

"Bella, barely your first day back and you're already divulged yourself in the case. I see you haven't changed in the week you've been off." I heard Garrett and I looked up and smiled tightly at him.

"Hello Garrett, I've missed you too." I replied sarcastically and he chuckled and shook his head.

"Now, I doubt that Bella. From your attitude, it seems you are still pissed at me for making you take a week off." He answered and I shrugged.

"Can you blame me?" I asked as I stood, grabbing the files and my notes, and went to gather my team for a meeting. He laughed and I winked as I brushed past him, effectively ending the conversation. I headed to the conference room, only to see my entire team, plus Edward and his team, already in the room. I smiled and shook my head as I walked in.

"Welcome back Boss!" Everyone's voices rang out as I closed the door behind me.

"Thanks guys, it's great to be back. Believe me when I tell you I have been going stir crazy at home this whole past week." I replied and they all chuckled lightly. I went to the front of the room and glanced around at all of the familiar faces, smiling to myself lightly. I sighed and opened the case file, getting straight to business. "So, for the past week I have a lot of time to reflect back on the case, thinking everything over. This whole time I have had a feeling that we have been missing something. Well last night, I figured it out." I started and they all waited patiently for me to continue. "Well, I noticed something fishy about Leah Clearwater and Sam Uley when we questioned them. Their stories were too perfect, too rehearsed. Like they were covering for each other. I thought about it more and I realized that we should have been looking at Leah as a suspect. She had motives; the fact that Jacob Black was so upset with her for having a relationship with him and he believed to be so real and then leaving him for Sam. Leah had mentioned that Jacob threatened to tell Sam about their relationship. It could have been a silence murder. She had means; the murder weapon had her fingerprints all over it. She and Sam are each other's alibi. It would make sense that Leah murdered Jacob Black out of fear of Jacob outing her to Sam. Of course, Sam would have helped to cover for her. I'm sure Quil knew about the secret relationship between Jacob and Leah as well. Therefore, the double homicide. However, I still felt like something was missing, that we were simply overlooking something. That's when I realized it. We have been overlooking someone this entire time. Focusing all of our attention on Leah and Sam that we didn't even factor in Embry Call." I explained.

"Boss, Embry was Jacob and Quil's best friend. What would be his motive behind murdering one, or even both, of them?" Stefan asked me.

"That's why I brushed him off at first. But look at his phone records and his emails. There were tons of emails exchanged between Embry and Sam, and Embry and Leah-"

"Yeah we looked through all of them, they were completely innocent." Newton interrupted.

"What innocence is there in two eighteen year olds exchanging constant email and constantly keeping in contact with two, or even three, thirteen year old boys?" I asked incredulously. I was not about to brush this off so easily.

"Bella has a point. We aren't getting anywhere on this case right now. We need to explore every single possible lead that's out there if we are going to solve this thing. The killer could be right under our noses and we wouldn't know because we are automatically assuming innocence in a few teenagers." Edward jumped in and I nodded my head in agreement.

"I will look farther into the Call boy's computer and see if I can find anything." Newton said and I nodded at him.

"I'll retest the murder weapon and see if I can find anymore fingerprints that could help us out." Riley offered.

"Alright guys, let's solve this thing." I said, and with that, everyone began to pile out of the room.

"Hey Bella, wait up!" I heard Edward call behind me and I spun around and waited for him patiently. "I was just about to head over to the Uley house, you want to come along?" He asked me and I nodded. He smiled and I laughed and rolled my eyes. I went to the safe by my desk and unlocked it quickly, grabbing my gun and holster and buckled it around my waste. I also grabbed my cell phone and my car keys and I met Edward at the elevator. "Ready?" Edward asked me simply as the elevator dinged to signal that we had reached the parking garage.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I'm driving." I stated simply and I heard him chuckle behind me as I headed to my car. I unlocked it and climbed in, waiting for Edward to be safely in and buckled before speeding off towards Sam Uley's house.

"Sam, open up!" I called as I pounded on the door. It opened just a crack and an elderly lady's head poked out.

"You with the police or something?" She snipped and I fought to keep the giggle inside of me, remaining professional.

"FBI actually. My name is Agent Swan and this is my partner Agent Cullen. We are investigating the murder of Jacob Black." I began as both Edward and I flashed her out badges. She nodded and opened the door further, allowing us into her home.

"Poor boy's father, don't even know what hit him. One minute he is sending his boy off to hang out with a few friends and the next BAM… he is gone." The woman rambled.

"Yes, it is a very sad thing." Edward replied and I nodded in agreement.

"Oh goodness, excuse my rambling. Two people trying to find a murderer didn't come here to hear me ramble on about absolutely nothing. What can I help you with?" She asked and I smiled softly at her.

"We are looking for Sam Uley." I answered her question and her eyes shot up to meet mine. I could see a fear in them that confused me.

"What do you want with my boy?" She asked, her voice becoming defensive.

"We just have a few questions for him ma'am." I said and she nodded her face visibly relaxing.

"SAM, COME DOWN HERE! YOU HAVE VISITORS!" She yelled. A few seconds later I could hear footsteps on the stair and a few moments after that, Sam appeared in the room.

"Agent Swan, what can I help you with?" He asked me and I gestured for him to sit down.

"Sam, this is my partner, Agent Cullen. We just have a few quick questions for you if you don't mind." I answered and he nodded. "Sam, did you and Leah keep in contact with Embry Call?" I began.

"You mean Jacob's little friend? The scrawny one?" He asked and I shook my head. "No, I didn't at least. I told you before, the only reason I knew Jacob was because he was so close to Leah. I don't make it a habit to hang around little kids." Sam sneered the last part and I looked at him skeptically.

"So you never, not once, traded and email or a phone call or a text message with Embry?" I asked him and he rolled his eyes.

"I don't know how much clearer I can make it Agent Swan. Not once, not ever, did I even talk to the boy." He answered and I looked at Edward and shook my head. He nodded and we both stood up.

"Thank you both for your time. Sam, stay in town, we may have a few more questions for you later on." I said and he nodded. Edward and I left the house. As soon as we were back in the car, Edward spoke.

"Why didn't you call him out, Bella? We have proof that he did exchange emails with the Call boy." He said as he looked at me in confusion.

"The lady knows something. As soon as I said that we wanted to ask Sam some questions, she was terrified. She knows something and she is covering for him. If we had called him out, she would have jumped in and we wouldn't have gotten anywhere." I explained as I shook my head.

"What do you think she knows?" Edward asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know exactly, but she is scared that we are going to find out. Which means we must be close." I answered. Edward focused his attention back on the road and the rest of the car ride was silent.

"What did you find out?" Garrett asked once we were back in the office.

"Not much. Sam is denying all contact with Embry Call." I replied and Garrett nodded.

"I guessed he would. He also denied contact with Jacob Black until we showed we had proof." He said and I shook my head.

"The old woman that Sam lives with, I'm assuming it is his grandmother, knows something and is terrified we are going to find out." I told him and he looked at me questioningly.

"How could you tell?" He asked.

"The fear in her eyes the moment we mentioned Sam's name. It was hard to miss." I told him and he nodded.

"Well, find out whatever they don't want us finding out. We need to wrap this case up quick." He said as he turned to walk away. "Oh, hey Bella." He called and I looked up at him. "It's good to have you back." He finished as he winked and walked away. I rolled my eyes and laughed. Though I couldn't lie, it was amazing to be back.

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